The gist
The district’s board of trustees voted 6-1 to join a lawsuit against the TEA over its failure to adequately notify school districts on the changes made to the way accountability ratings are calculated as well as retroactively making the changes, according to the board’s resolution. Trustee Chad Green voted against the resolution.
Changes made to the A-F accountability system violated state law, the board’s resolution stated. Per Texas Education Code 39.0542, the education commissioner is required to provide school districts with a “simple, accessible” document explaining the accountability performance measures, methods and procedures that will be applied to their campus performance ratings.
“I do believe that we have a responsibility to join the districts around us and in the state of Texas,” MISD Superintendent Shawn Pratt said. “We also have a responsibility to our students who have completed a school year four months ago and still do not have the accountability standards for that school year set forth.”
What you need to know
New accountability ratings for Texas schools were scheduled to be released Sept. 28, based on adjusted criteria including but not limited to a new threshold for college, career and military readiness scores, raising it from 60% to 88% to earn an A rating.
The TEA announced Sept. 12 the scores are temporarily delayed for approximately one month to allow for “further re-examination of the baseline data” used in the calculations, according to a news release.
“It seems TEA might have taken note and delayed the accountability ratings another month,” MISD Trustee Stephanie O'Dell said. “It seems like they’re doing that in reaction to this [lawsuit], so hopefully they’re listening and paying attention.”
The districts signed onto the lawsuit include but are not limited to:
- Dallas ISD
- Frisco ISD
- Richardson ISD
- Prosper ISD
- Duncanville ISD
- Desoto ISD
